Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis Sells 27,500 Shares

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 27,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.49, for a total value of $1,580,975.00. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 2,584,943 shares in the company, valued at $148,608,373.07. This trade represents a 1.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 4.1%

Shares of NASDAQ WLFC traded down $2.37 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $55.09. The company had a trading volume of 220,568 shares, compared to its average volume of 260,025. The stock has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a PE ratio of 13.82 and a beta of 0.74. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a one year low of $38.00 and a one year high of $81.54. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $70.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.41. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 11.80%.The business had revenue of $194.02 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.133 per share. This represents a $0.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is currently 13.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on WLFC. UBS Group set a $71.00 target price on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Freedom Capital raised Willis Lease Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $71.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 780.3% in the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 33,452 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,537,000 after acquiring an additional 29,652 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at $1,462,000. Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 5,153 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $699,000 after buying an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 102,259 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $13,870,000 after purchasing an additional 3,793 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 4th quarter worth approximately $133,000. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: WLFC) is an independent global provider of aircraft engine leasing, trading and aftermarket services. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in the United States, the company specializes in offering short- and long-term operating leases for jet engines and auxiliary power units. Through its broad engine portfolio, Willis Lease Finance supports a wide range of commercial aircraft across various operators, including major airlines, regional carriers and other leasing companies.

In addition to leasing solutions, Willis Lease Finance offers comprehensive engine trading and asset management services.